WARREN — With the calendar closing in on the holiday season, the Alleman family lost their home and many of their belongings in a house fire Dec. 1 on Arsenal, near 12 Mile and Van Dyke. Warren Fire Commissioner ...Read More

Police are asking for the public’s assistance in locating a man who went missing recently.Frinnie Williamson, 49, of Southfield, is missing, according to a news release from Lt. Ted Goff, of the Southfield Police ...Read More

CLINTON TOWNSHIP — Clinton Township Clintondale boys basketball coach Rob Townsend makes it clear that he sees where his team could be at a disadvantage this season.“We have no size,” Townsend said. ...Read More

ROCHESTER — At the annual Rochester Adams coaches meeting, Jason Rapp had a very important announcement.The athletic director of the Highlanders was pleased to reveal that Al Must had won the title of Coach of the ...Read More

MACOMB TOWNSHIP — A new bench that sits on the playground of Cheyenne Elementary School is the product of a Dakota High School sophomore who recently earned Eagle Scout status.Alec DeMaria recently earned the ...Read More

TROY — Carole Halbrook, 74, of Sterling Heights, never thought she would find love again after she lost her husband, Albert Person, her high school sweetheart and childhood neighbor, who died suddenly during routine ...Read More

Login

New recall petitions filed against Warren mayor, clerk

WARREN — A resident who unsuccessfully sought approval for recall petitions targeting Warren’s mayor and city clerk in April has filed new petitions with revised language. However, it won’t be determined if the effort will move forward until county elections officials meet later this month.

An employee in the office of Macomb County Clerk Carmella Sabaugh confirmed separate recall petitions naming Warren Mayor Jim Fouts and City Clerk Paul Wojno were filed by resident Karen Spranger May 5. Spranger, a frequent critic of the city’s elected officials and its policies ranging from assessed taxes to the installation of smart meters, previously sought approval for a pair of petitions outlining a long list of complaints against Fouts and Wojno.

The Macomb County Election Commission ruled April 15 the language lacked sufficient clarity.

Spranger’s new petition that named Fouts centers on last year’s flap over comments made by the mayor during private phone conversations with a former staffer that included violent, profanity-filled remarks directed at two former city employees. The petition also mentions the settlement of a whistleblower lawsuit with the former appointee but seemingly fails to pinpoint any specific allegation.

“I tried to narrow it down to the lawsuit that cost our city $175,000,” Spranger said. “As I was researching it and learning more, and talking to other people, I just thought the conduct of office, that was a very serious offense, when you threaten someone physically.”

The petition naming Wojno claims the removal of deceased voters from the Qualified Voter File “is the responsibility of local elections officials,” and states that Wojno is responsible for the storage of election equipment. It also points out that Wojno is a member of Warren’s Election Commission but again seems to fall short of making a specific allegation.

“I’m just speculating something doesn’t make sense in the process, how they’re doing things,” Spranger said. “When you question it and are not getting an answer, that doesn’t make me feel comfortable as a resident and as a senior that our elections are accurate.”

Reached for comment on the new petition May 6, Fouts said the statements have nothing to do with his work as mayor and alleged Spranger had aligned herself with his political rivals.

“There’s little that has to do with me. This is a well-run city, a well-managed city,” Fouts said. “She’s just allowing herself to be used by people that are unhappy with the election results in 2011.”

Wojno was more reserved in his assessment but also pointed out that the language failed to criticize his job performance.

“I’d like to say that Karen and I have known each other for several years, and I don’t take any of this personally,” Wojno said. “The secretary of state, the county clerk and the local clerk all play a role in removing individuals (from the QVF). I see no complaints in her statement about the job that we do.”

Sabaugh, Macomb County Treasurer Ted Wahby and Macomb County Judge of Probate Kathryn George sit on the county’s Election Commission. The commission was tentatively scheduled to meet at 8 a.m. May 21 to determine whether the petitions meet the standards for factual accuracy and clarity required by state statute.

About the author

Staff Writer Brian Louwers covers the cities of Warren and Center Line. He has worked for C & G Newspapers since 1998 and is a graduate of the University of Michigan-Dearborn. In his free time, he participates in the Michigan State University Extension Master Gardener Volunteer Program and conducts interviews with military veterans for the Veterans History Project at the Library of Congress.